Amid opposition, synagogue moves ahead with condo plan

In spite of local opposition, a Jewish congregation on the Upper West Side is pushing through with expansion, according to a new plan filed with the city.

Congregation Shearith Israel is currently housed inside the four-story concrete block at 8 West 70th Street. The 14,474-square-foot structure is currently classified as a parochial school on Property Shark. The expansion will bring it to nine stories and will include roughly 20,000 square feet of commercial space and four full-floor residential units, with the top floors consisting of a duplex penthouse, according to the plans.

Detractors of the project say the building’s contemporary design, by architectural firm Platt Byard Dovell White, doesn’t belong in the pre-war neighborhood, New York Yimby reported. The plan awaits zoning approval, according to a review of the application. [NY Yimby] — Angela Hunt